A few weeks ago, it was reported that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D would be using a guide system of some sort, to give players a little extra help if they got stuck while playing. It had been rumoured that the game was going to use a super guide system, which would allow players to view exactly what they needed to do if they got stuck, but it has now been confirmed that that is not the case.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is going to use a new help system, known as ‘visions’, which will provide players with short segments of videos to help them get through certain areas of the game, without showing them exactly what they need to do.

Hit the jump to find out more about this new system!

The most important thing to note about this system is that it isn’t a straightforward guide of exactly what to do to solve a puzzle or access a new area of the game. It’s a nifty little hint system, that will guide lost players back on the course of the game, while still offering the satisfaction of having completed a puzzle when they manage to get past the area they were stuck on.

The best way to explain it is by example. This example from Zelda Dungeon details one of the visions, titled ‘Down the Well’:

“The first one showed Adult Link talking to Guru-Guru in the Kakariko Windmill, followed by a scene of adult Link placing the Master Sword into the Pedestal of Time, and then Child Link playing the Ocarina to Guru-Guru, ending with the water being drained from the Well. The entire clip was no longer than 10 seconds, but it had several short clips and clearly gave you a hint of what you needed to do in order to access the bottom of the well.”

The visions won’t be able to accessed until a player has reached a certain point in the game; in some cases, only if they’ve attempted to get past a certain part. For example, one of the visions helps players figure out how to beat King Dodongo in Dodongo’s Cavern, but this vision isn’t available until the player has actually tried to defeat King Dodongo before.

Players will only be able to see the visions from certain points in the game. It’s unclear where all of the points will appear; right now, we’re only aware of next to Link’s house in Kokiri Forest, and next to the Temple of Time. A large stone, similar to an oversized Gossip Stone, will allow players to access the visions menu from these areas.

Nintendo were very clear about what they wanted to achieve when adding this system into the game. They felt that the sense of achievement from clearing a puzzle was something that all players should feel, and that the guide system shouldn’t be taking away from that at all. Thus, the visions system was created, to offer a helping hand to players without holding their hand through the game.